As I've Matured

VEGETARIANS VS. NON VEGETARIANS

VEGETARIANS VS. NON VEGETARIANS

Vegetarins will say”Fruits and vegetables are light and easy to digest, so if you have gone vegetarian, great! Stay that way”. They may even  say that  “in every package of chicken, there's a little poop. Meat is filthy and bloody, and contains many germs. Meat has to rot in your stomach before you can digest it”.

Vegetarianism is a conscious way of eating, and involves the practice of following a diet which includes fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy products or eggs. Vegetarians argue that humans are not physically created to eat meat.When you look at the comparison between herbivores and humans, we compare much more closely to herbivores than meat eating animals.

Meat-eaters: have claws

Herbivores: no claws

Humans: no claws

Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding

Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding

Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding

Meat-eaters: have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly

Herbivores: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.

Humans: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.

  

The spiritually aspiring person attempts to work on his/her self. The purpose of spiritual growth is to move away from the animal nature into the more human nature that God intended for us to have.

Sat, rajas and tamas are three mental qualities that affect one's mental make-up. A Brahmin or a person engaged in intellectual pursuits must aim to enhance sat, while a kshatriya or a soldier should aim for enhancing rajas and tamas. Some foods enhance tamas in human body, hence they are banned for Brahmins, but are strongly recommended for kshatriyas / soldiers. Meats, onion and garlic are examples of such foods. This also fits with the basic philosophy of purpose of life . If one is born to be a soldier, one shall achieve the ultimate joy in life by being a good soldier; so one must eat foods that build the body, mind and spirit necessary for being a soldier.

The first and purest is Sattvic food. In this category food can be anything such as nuts, fruits, or vegetables. These foods increase one’s health, duration of life, strength, and happiness.
Sattvik Food:  Foods which are cooked with minimum amount of spices or seasonings and are fresh are sattvik foods. These foods retain their nutritive value as they are cooked in a very simple fashion .

The second is known as Rajasic (hot) food which can be bitter, salty, meat, garlic, onions or any hot, spicy foods. It is said this food and/or Guna creates a person who is unhappy, sorrowful and diseased.

Rajasik Foods: Food of a king or of a restless and energetic disposition. A large variety of foods having different methods of preparation such as fried, highly seasoned, or baked, form this category. Alcoholic and processed beverages as well as sweets come in here. These foods impart extra weight and fat to the body and create a feeling of uneasiness after eating.

The third and darkest or most intoxicating Guna is called Tamasic. Food under this category would be fermented, or considered untouchable. It would include such foods as meat, fish, poultry and eggs. Eating Tamasic food would make a person dull, sleepy or reckless .

Tamasik Food: Food causing a lethargic disposition. Foods, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, that are prepared with excess spices, salts and hot seasonings are Tamasik foods.These foods perpetuate laziness and people eating these are characterized by a rough and intolerant temperament.

You can have food based based on the quality that you aspire in life….

IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

 Just like we need air to breathe, we need prayer to overcome temptations, evil, and to gain victory over our day!   

My sister says that prayers  have helped her tremendously. Chanting, she feels, has made her serene and tranquil.   

 Though religion fascinates me, I do not perform Puja every day. I  go to the temple once in while. But I do have a strong faith. I believe there is a power above all.

Prayers and devotion to the Lord is one of the three paths of self actualization in Hinduism.

The ancient Indian philosophers elaborated three ways for self-actualization -GYAN, the path of knowledge, KARMA, the path of action and BHAKTI or the path of devotion.  For ordinary people, it is the most common means to reinforce their faith and develop a social understanding of abiding by the rules of fairness and truthfulness.

A prayer room forms an integral part of every Hindu household. A place exclusively for prayer is of prime necessity to make one's  inward journey smoother.Hinduism calls for a deeper significance for allotting a place exclusively for prayer at homes. Solitude is essential for the mind to become introverted.The very presence of a prayer room at home reminds one who is engaged in a householder life that the Lord is the true owner and we are mere care takers.

Swami Gautamananda (Swami Gautamananda  has been the president of Sri Ramakrishna Math in Chennai) said one could realise God only by doing regular Sadhana. To illustrate the importance of daily prayer, the saint gave the example of obtaining butter from milk. Knowledge that milk contains butter is easy to acquire but the process of obtaining it involves boiling the milk first and then seeding it with curd after cooling it, and then churning the curd after it has set to separate the butter. Sadhana is akin to obtaining butter from milk. Just as curd will set properly only when it is left undisturbed for the required number of hours, so also, can Sadhana be effective only when it is done in solitude to avoid worldly influences that will distract the mind.

All I know is that though God is universal, my relation with Him/Her is private. I pray for my family and for my near and dear ones. 


I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL.............................